Patients with hidradenitis suppurativa carry a higher systemic inflammatory load than other dermatological patients

Hidradenitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with recurrent nodules, tunnels, scarring and suppuration of intertrigious areas. Hospital-treated HS patients have an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and a wide array of co-morbidities that possibly are related to systemic inflammation. Neutrophile to lymphocyte ratio has been suggested as a marker of systemic inflammation. Studies of psoriasis patients have found their neutrophile to lymphocyte ratio to be increased. In this study, routine blood samples collected during control visits from 50 HS patients are examined, and compared to routine blood samples from 250 age- and sex-matched dermatological outpatients. The neutrophile to lymphocyte ratio does not appear to be increased in HS patients as seen in psoriasis patients, but CRP was found to be higher in HS patients, indicating systemic inflammation. However, N/L ratio was positively correlated to Hurley stage (p < 0.006). The inflammatory biochemical markers for HS patients appear to differ from psoriasis patients and other non-HS dermatological patients; however, a larger study with healthy controls is warranted to further explore the characteristics of inflammatory markers in HS.